As the sixth year AK (After Katrina) dawns in N.O., Saints fever grips the city. Minnesota returned on the Sept ninth for a rematch of the NFC Championship. The party was huge. But the season ended with disappointment. A first round playoff loss was soon overshadowed by the threat of a lockout and strike.

The Hurricane & Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS) including the West Closure Complex and the Lake Borgne Surge Barrier are well underway with the main features completed June 1, 2011.  Construction started in 2009 based on plans the Corps decided were necessary in 2006 when they determined the levee fortification plan on the books was insufficient for protection against a 100 year storm. This update seems to finally encompass (some of) the lines of defense promoted by the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation for years. Thank you Gen. Robert van Antwerp.

The West Closure Complex when done will make 245,000 people safer on the westbank. The Lake Borgne Surge Barrier closes the "funnel" at the juncture of Lake Borgne, the GIWW, and the Mr GO, thus protecting the Industrial Canal and the heart of the eastbank.  These two projects are far more important than the what 4th Down on 4 has to say after the game.  Few citizens will know anything about HSDRRS until the next crisis. It appears to be considerably more than a "System in Name Alone." Let's sincerely hope that appearances are not deceiving.

As the Recovery School District approaches its fifth year, 42 percent of New Orleans public schools are rated "academically unacceptable" by the state --  a significant but disappointing reduction from the 64 percent before the storm. This "improvement" and a five year limit for the RSD is prompting new debate over what to do about schools. Although charters are well established, vouchers are still not getting more than token support. Public attention focused on a controversial budget reduction plan to merge UNO and SUNO.

The state is subsidizing the solar industry in a big way. Even an 80% federal/state subsidy barely makes sense for the consumer at this point.

Rough weather stayed mainly to the North so far this year however the weather establishment continues to overreact every time it clouds up. They also exercised their crisis management skills this spring when the river reached flood stage. Opening the Bonne Carre Spillway and a few bays on the the Morganza Floodway handled this year's flood. Serious flooding in the Atchafalaya basin did not materialize. Unfortunately most of the silt was wasted out to sea.

Crayfish became abundant and strawberries were everywhere. Then as Spring turned into summer shrimp and crabs were plentiful. Oysters may not be as plentiful come fall and winter because of changes in salinity caused by the spillway openings. Although the damage from last year's BP oil spill has not been fully assessed, it seems to be less than even the most optimistic among us had hoped.  We are still seeing some odd marine deaths so we can't be sure and money is still slow for testing and assessment. Beaches near Port Fouchon remained closed but Grand Isle and the entire Gulf Coast are glorious.

Hundred year flood protection seems to be within our grasp as the Lake Borgne Surge Barrier and the West Closure Complex were completed by June. Restoration of the wetlands remains a dream. However even this dream is now captured in a plan with a 2012 update in the works.  In another big move, April 14 saw a $675 M contract awarded for construction of "Permanent Canal Closures and Pump Stations" for the 17th Street, London Avenue and Orleans Avenue canals. The GAO upheld a bidders challenge in August forcing review of this award. Nothing goes easily with the Corps.

 
The national and international scenes remained full of strife. The Arab Spring  dragged into bloody summers in Libya and Syria. Qaddafi was out in August and Assad still won't quit. Tunisia and Egypt remain unfinished stories. Yemen appears ready to blossom. Could Iran be on the list? In June John McCain visited Libya and, true to form, he opted for more intervention. Has this man ever seen a war he does not want to join? On the horn of Africa, troubled Somilia saw even more strife among its ethnic populations. Starvation, drought, forced migration and refugee camps in Kenya painted a grim picture for the world.

On the economic front Standard and Poor's threatened to downgrade US securities and then followed through with a downgrade from AAA to AA+ in August. They seemed to think Congress lacked the will to fix the fiscal problems confounding the government. They were right. With $2 trillion flowing in and $3 trillion out of the federal government budget the economy is as unstable as an I wall planted on top of a mud levee. Add to a fragile US recovery, continuing problems with sovereign debt in European and inflation in China and you have a worldwide economic slowdown.

Japan continues its struggle to recover. The March 11 combo disaster is proving to be a massive challenge. They will surely be measuring time from 311 for years. Haiti is out of the picture as it struggles to survive.

New Orleans new website at nola.gov is now a first class effort. The crime maps are current and seem accurate. I'll be examining other sections in the upcoming months.